Eldership

[YP0534]

Originally Posted by Peter Debelak

So, that’s 1 Timothy 5 – and I don’t think there’s much there that prescribes an “office” of “eldership” – in fact, the more natural reading of presbeturos in this chapter is “senior” or “elderly” rather than “elder/bishop/overseer” etc…

Thoughts?

Peter

Yeah.

You just recently introduced me to the "elders" of the synagogue.

Paul's custom was to preach in the synagogues and he surely knew those "elders" there.

If we can say that the "elders" of the synagogue were merely "older ones" and a more or less fluid group, then I think we might be OK.

But to the extent that such a group was readily identifiable as titled office holders, Paul would need to distinguish his use of the term or it would behoove us to presume he intended the same meaning of the term.

Not necessarily as a direct continuation of Jewish practice, of course, nor perhaps even modeled after that pattern, although this is what I suspect, but simply, as you have noted, regarding the semantic value of the term.

In other words, if you picked up Paul's dictionary and looked up the entry for \presbeturos\, it seems likely that at least the second definition would read something like "an office of the synagogue." If Paul meant to use a different definition, it would seem to be necessary for him to make sure that we weren't confused about the folks who were there with us listening to him speak last sabbath, or at least the analogue among the believers.

Perhaps when speaking to Gentiles you might give Paul a pass on this lingusitical point, but as I recall, Timothy's mother was a Jewish woman and he himself was circumcised by Paul.

There is certainly at least the possiblity of confusion in this context, wouldn't you agree?